Mediocre Chocolate
by HGlitz
Summary: Oneshot. Gary/Misty.  Gary is needed at Cerulean Cape, but makes a pitstop in Cerulean along the way. Misty is at the Pokemart running errands. An exploration of what could happen if Gary and Misty were to run into each other.


**The Wrong Chocolate**

By: HGlitz

**A/N**: So, this is my first time writing a fanfiction. I figured it'd be best to start with a oneshot, just to see what happened. While this is a Gary/Misty story, as I am an egoshipper, there isn't too much romance in this particular story. It was more an exploration of what might happen if they were to run into each other. Regardless, I hope you have fun reading!

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon, unfortunately, is not mine. If it were, we'd probably see more of Gary :-P

Although he had eaten a hearty breakfast before taking off from Pewter City that morning, Gary Oak was already hungry. The thought of driving another hour without eating did not at all appeal to the young researcher. _'I need to stop somewhere,_' he thought, stomach grumbling in agreement._ 'I need to stop somewhere, or I'm going to die of starvation!'_

Gary was on his way to Bill's house, north of Cerulean City. Bill had called Oak Research Lab a few days before, reporting that several Magikarp had washed up on shore looking severely ill.

"I'm concerned about the conditions of the water at the cape," Bill had said.

Gary agreed to come out right away and run field tests. It was necessary to run tests to determine if the cause was disease or pollution related. In turn, Bill offered to host him while he ran the tests, and to show him the soon-to-be-newest upgrade of the pokemon storage system, if time allowed. All in all, not a bad deal! He not only would be able to get out of the lab for a few days, which was enough of a rare occurrence to warrant celebration, but he would also get to check out the next storage update. There had been rumors bouncing around the region for months!

Of course, Gary hadn't always spent his time cooped up in a lab. He used to be a serious pokemon trainer, and a very good one at that. He spent a long time, years, really, travelling around the countryside. Battling was an everyday occurrence, and defeating gym leaders was never a huge undertaking for him. He knew that research was his calling, but he was pretty sure he was wasting his life away in the lab back home. The drive from Pallet to Veridian, and then through Veridian Forest had brought back memories from his childhood adventures. Pokemon battles, running from danger, seeking shelter from bad weather… it gives a person real strength to live on your own for so long. He still often thought about taking his show on the road again, doing field research. Going into the darkest caves, the kind even the bravest explorers feared. One could really make a name for themselves doing that kind of thing!

Still, as enticing as all the action and adventure was, the gnawing hunger wasn't quieted by the thought of escaping the lonely, claustrophobic life he currently was leading. The red convertible, also hailing from his days as a pokemon trainer, sped along the road leading to Cerulean City. The road winding through the green countryside was riddled with potholes, making for a bumpy experience overall. The car approached a sign which read: Cerulean City – 2 miles.

"Food! 2 miles away from stuffing my face!" he growled out loud, to nobody.

Finally, he pulled through the city entrance. The landscaping was unbelievable. Blue flowers and sculpted hedges decorated the city, with stonework accenting the walkways. Many of the homes were blue, one story ranch houses. Gary turned the wheel and directed the car down the main boulevard, where the main shopping center is located. People darted in and out of buildings carrying bags, pushing children in strollers, and talking on cell phones. It was only 11:00 AM, and the city was already bustling with activity. Gary pulled into a parking spot outside of the pokemart, stepped out of the convertible, locked it with a satisfying click, and turned towards the mart.

'_All these marts really do look the same,'_ he thought, walking towards the building with determination. His hunger would be defeated.

* * *

'_I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, THEY ARE ON SALE?' _Misty thought, bouncing over to the shelf containing the Rage Candy bars. Rage Candy Bars were delicious, but they weren't often sold in Cerulean and usually needed to be imported from Mahogany Town. Misty couldn't pass up the chance to buy one, especially at such a low price! She grabbed a bar of dark chocolate, dropped it in her shopping basket, and continued down the aisle toward the stationary section at the back of the store.

'_Staryu, or Horsea? Which design should I get?'_ she thought, peering through the choices on the rack. They didn't have the Goldeen stationary she bought last time, so she was now forced to choose another style. _'Arghh, there are so many good ones!'_

She heard the sliding door glide open as another customer stepped into the store. Misty glanced over her shoulder toward the front counter, but couldn't see the door from where she was standing. All she could see was the blonde-haired teenage boy behind the cash register, who was clearly bored from having to work on a summer afternoon: he was sitting on a stool, leaning against the back wall, and glaring at the ceiling. It was as if he thought he could burn holes through it and escape. He wore a blue shirt and khaki pants, and was rather lanky in build.

Misty heard footsteps, and then a voice.

"Excuse me. Where do you keep your chocolate?" said the unidentified male voice.

'_They sound familiar. I wonder who it is?'_ Misty thought, glancing back toward the register again. A young man about her age had approached the counter, but was standing with his back to her. He had brown hair, which looked stylishly unruly. He wore a black shirt, purple pants, and sneakers. He was clearly taller than the clerk, who was now gesturing towards the aisle containing the Rage Candy bars.

'_Not bad, not bad… but, who is this guy? He seems awfully familiar, but…'_

The man turned to look down the aisle, where the clerk pointed. Misty quickly turned around, not wanting to get caught staring someone she barely recognized, and possibly didn't even know.

* * *

"Aisle Four. Left," the blonde haired teenager sighed impatiently, pointing in the direction of the aisle, before pushing his black-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. The boy was clearly not interested in being pleasant.

"Thanks…" Gary said, a hint of sarcasm decorating his otherwise polite response. He turned to look down the aisle, confirming the location of his prize.

He hurried toward the chocolate, anxious to satisfy the gnawing hunger. His stomach sounded more and more like an angry bear with each passing second. Crackers! Cheese puffs! Goldfish! Toaster Pastries! The aisle was chock full of snacks, all of which went ignored as he walked down the aisle. They were mediocre in comparison to what he was after. He wanted chocolate.

'_Wow, did I luck out. Rage Candy bars? I haven't had one of those in _forever_,' he thought, seeing the display._

About halfway down the aisle, something caught his eye. A flash of red hair at the end of the aisle belonging to a girl who stood at the end of the aisle looking through pokemon stationary. She wore a yellow, sleeveless shirt and blue shorts. He wouldn't have recognized her had it not been for her red hair; she looked so much older than he remembered. Her hair was still in a pony tail, but had grown longer. She'd also gotten taller, but still wasn't as tall as Gary, as far as he could tell.

'_Isn't that Ash's girlfriend? What's she doing in Cerulean City by herself?'_ Gary thought. _'Wait… no, that's right, she's filling in for her sisters at the gym. The league sent a letter out about that months ago.'_

Gary stood for a moment, staring at her. He never quite understood how she put up with travelling with Ash for so long. Even though he got along well enough with Ash these days, he knew from experience that Ash could downright clueless sometimes.

"_Well, let's go have some fun,"_ Gary thought, smirking.

* * *

Misty heard footsteps coming down the aisle, and then stop. She thought to glance behind her again, but as she was about to turn around she heard the footsteps again. This time, they were getting closer. Closer… closer...closer. Right behind her.

"You know, red, you can tell a lot about a person by the stuff they have in their shopping basket," the man asserted.

Misty whirled around to meet eyes and cross swords with the creepy man behind her. "Just who do you think you are! Creep!"

"Seriously? You don't recognize me? " the man asked in exaggerated disbelief.

Misty stared back at the man. She knew she recognized the voice, but couldn't quite place his appearance. 'Brown hair… tall… obnoxious…' "No, I'm sure we've met before, but I can't place you." she replied.

"Man, Ashy-boy must be rubbing off on you,"

"…What about Ash?"

"Well, you travelled with him since pretty much day one, I suppose it's to be expected"

She couldn't figure out how he knew so much about her. True, she had been one of his travelling companions for a long time, but that would mean this character would've known her for a long time as well. _'Why is this guy picking at Ash?'_ she thought, before it suddenly dawned on her.

"Gary Oak!" she shrieked, covering her mouth with her hand in shock.

She remembered, now. Gary Oak, Ash's friend-turned-rival. He was a pompous ass throughout the first leg of their journey, but seemed to grow up after realizing his own weaknesses. Even though they got along well enough, now, there was still that sense of rivalry that would probably never be totally extinguished. Misty tensed. What was he going to say to her?

"The one and only. How's life been?" Gary inquired, smoothing his hair a bit with his hand.

"A little boring."

"Ah, gym leader life getting the better of you?"

"No, it is NOT getting the better of me. It's fine!" Misty retorted, clenching her fists.

"Whoa there!

"Are you just here to give me a hard time?"

"No, no. I understand. Really!" he tried. She gave him a skeptical look. "No, really, I get it. I spend too much time in the lab and not enough time exploring the real world. It's hard," Gary explained. "Ash is lucky, being able to continue traveling the world like that-"

'_Wow, age really does work miracles for a guy's personality,'_ she mused.

"—Of course, he doesn't get to be a famous pokemon researcher, either!" Gary finished.

'_And yet, some things never change,'_ Misty thought, rolling her eyes.

"Well, if it means having to put up with you all day, I'm sure he's better off for missing out on the experience!" remarked Misty, laughing. "What're you doing here in Cerulean, anyway? Shouldn't you be off doing some important research in a secret lab somewhere?"

"If by 'secret lab' you mean, the research lab in Pallet Town, then, yes. As a matter of fact, I am on my way to an assignment right now."

"At the Cerulean Pokemart?"

"Yes, of course. I was sent to this pokemart to see study how the rare, red-headed gym leader chooses her stationary. "

Misty glared at him.

"Actually, I'm here to investigate a school of Magikarp that washed up on shore at the Cape… though it does appear that you can't seem to pick out stationary without trouble. And clearly, your ability to choose chocolate isn't much better!" Gary teased, gesturing at the chocolate in her basket.

"What! What's wrong with my chocolate?" Misty fumed.

"Oh, nothing. Just, dark chocolate is by far inferior to white chocolate." Gary waved his bar of white chocolate in her face.

"Excuse you! What gives you the right to insult my taste in chocolate?"

"I'm a scientist."

Misty furrowed her eyebrows. 'Seriously?' Gary stared back, and then cracked a smile.

"A—" Misty started, but then broke down into laughter. "You… are… so… DUMB!"

'_She's cute,'_ He mused, watching her laugh. "I haven't heard from Ash in a while. How's he been?"

"I'm not really sure, actually. He hasn't called in a few weeks… last I heard, he was making his way around Sinnoh," Misty offered, reigning in her laughter and looking down the aisle toward the register. The cashier was now staring at them like they each had 10 heads.

Gary's stomach growled, again. He needed to get moving. "Well, red, it's been good talkin' to you, but I really must be going. Still have a long drive ahead of me, and I need to eat before I die of starvation. Tell your boyfriend I said 'Hey, Loser.'"

"My boyfriend?"

"…Ash. How can you forget who your boyfriend is? That's messed up!" Gary said, feigning shock.

"When did I say we were dating?"

"Fine, fine. If you say so." Gary snickered.

"We aren't!" Misty yelled, her face flushing from frustration. As if her sisters didn't' give her a hard time about that enough.

"No need to get so loud and defensive!" Gary asserted, "Really, though. Just tell him I said 'Hey' when you talk to him next. You know, if he decides to call in the next year or so."

Misty giggled. "I'll tell him you said hi. See you around!"

Gary turned away and walked back down the candy aisle. Misty watched him walk up to the cash register. He had a very confident walk: long strides, fast pace. He had always given off an atmosphere of confidence and arrogance when she'd run into him with Ash in the past. Today was a little different, though_. _

'_Did Gary Oak just joke around with me?' she wondered, 'I didn't think he knew how to be anything but insulting.'_

_

* * *

_

About 15 minutes later, Misty grabbed a packet of Seel stationary and walked her purchases up to the register.

'_Man, I haven't had a conversation like that in a while,'_ she thought, loading her cart up onto the counter.

Most of the people in Cerulean treated her more like a celebrity than someone they could joke around with. She hadn't had that kind of argument with anyone since Ash left for Sinnoh. Sure, he had called a few times, but he was usually in too much of a hurry to talk for long. And sure, she argued with her sisters… but those arguments weren't fun. They were something most people only have nightmares about! _'I forgot how fun arguing can be!'_

The teenager rang up her purchases. "Ma'am, that will be thirty-three ninty-seven. "

Misty gave him cash and reached for her bags. Just as she was reaching for her bags, the teenager interrupted. "Wait! I almost forgot. That guy who was in here earlier told me to give you this," he said, handing her a chocolate bar with a note attached.

'_Hey Misty,_

_I got this for you for being such a good sport this afternoon, even though your taste in chocolate is clearly misguided._

She looked at the dark chocolate Rage Candy bar and shook her head.

_I'll be up at Bill's house for a couple days doing this study, but maybe we can get together sometime while I'm up this way. My number is 555-5483. Shoot me a text later._

_Gary'_

Misty's eye's widened. Was he for real? She had enjoyed their conversation, but how awkward would it be to be around him for longer than 5 minutes? What would Ash think? Of course, nobody else in town was offering to spend time with her. Certainly none of the guys. They were all either pigs and interested in one thing, or else they just weren't interested at all. Gary didn't' seem like he was such a bad guy; he was kind of funny, actually!

She contemplated how to handle the situation_. 'Well, I should AT LEAST thank him for the chocolate…'_ she thought, pulling out her cell phone and punching in the number. _'He's an interesting person. It's bound to be a fun time!' _

Misty grinned at the thought.

* * *

Gary was looking in the rearview mirror, preparing to change lanes, when he felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket. Anticipating who it was, he grinned. Based on today, they were bound to have a fun time.


End file.
